White bar owner kills himself on the day he was meant to turn himself in for killing a BLM protester

A white Nebraska bar owner charged with manslaughter over the shooting of a black man during a chaotic night of George Floyd protests in May has been found dead from suicide.  

Jake Gardner, an ex-Marine, was indicted by a grand jury for fatally shooting 22-year-old James Scurlock in Omaha on May 30.

He was supposed to turn himself in on Sunday – the day he was found dead.

Stu Dornan, Gardner’s attorney, confirmed his suicide but did not give details. 

Gardner, 38, was also facing charges of attempted first-degree assault, threats and using a weapon while committing a felony. 

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine had initially declined to file charges against Gardner, saying he had reviewed witness statements and video and believed the bar owner acted in self-defense. 

Kleine, who was slammed for overlooking Gardner’s alleged racist history, asked the grand jury to review the case after he was heavily criticized. 

Special Prosecutor Frederick Franklin said the grand jury reviewed additional evidence that Kleine didn’t have, including texts from Gardner’s phone, messages on his Facebook profile and his interactions with bystanders before coming into contact with Spurlock. 

He declined to provide specifics of what the new evidence shows except to say it undermines the self-defense theory. 

‘There was significant evidence that was consistent with there being an intentional killing by Jake Gardner and that evidence comes primarily from him,’ Franklin said. 

The shooting happened outside Gardner’s bar as protests and civil unrest unfolded in Omaha and across the US in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd. 

Authorities have said Gardner shot Scurlock outside his downtown bar as he sought to ward off any theft or property damage.

Kleine later showed reporters some surveillance video that seemed to show Gardner, his father and protesters exchanging words before Gardner, flashing a gun, backed away. 

Gardner was shoved to the ground by two people before he fired two shots, sending people scrambling. Scurlock then jumped on Gardner’s back and Gardner shot him. 

While there was no audio with the video, Kleine said Gardner warned Scurlock to get off of him several times before he fired the fatal shot.

Critics of the initial investigation said Scurlock was trying to stop Gardner from hurting anyone.

Some witnesses initially said that Gardner had allegedly ‘taunted’ protesters and went out to the sidewalk yelling ‘n****r lover’. 

Scurlock’s death sparked protests across Omaha in the days after prosecutors initially declined to file charges.  

In the wake of the shooting, prosecutors were accused of turning a blind eye to the Gardner’s alleged racist views and background.  

Court documents have shown that he has a past criminal record stretching back to the late 1990s, which includes multiple weapons-related charges, as well as arrests on counts of assault and battery.

In 2016, Gardner, who reportedly self-identifies as a Libertarian, sparked a controversy when he posted on Facebook that transgender women should not use the women’s bathroom at his establishment, unless they have had their ‘appendage’ removed and their identification legally changed.

Just hours before the deadly clash, Gardner posted a status update on Facebook about protecting his business amid the unrest.

‘Just when you think, ‘what else could 2020 throw at me?’ Then you have to pull 48 hours of military style firewatch,’ Gardner wrote.

He was a retired Marine who served tours of duty in Iraq and Haiti between 2000-2004.